Brotherly Love
by AnnaLangdon
Summary: Ray lives with his teenage sister, Emily. What happens when she gets sick? COMPLETE. Prequel to Brotherly Life!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: _ER_ (and all that it entails) is the property of its creators and those with the proper paperwork at NBC

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Brotherly Love

Trudging up the stairs that led to his apartment, Dr. Ray Barnett blew a huge breath out of his mouth. His shoulders slumped as he rounded the corner, heading to his door. He was exhausted, coming off a double shift he'd pulled as a favor to Lewis. Fumbling with his keys, Ray opened the door and tossed his bag and jacket over the sofa.

"Yo, Emily!" Ray called out. "I'm home!"

"Hey, coming out in a sec!" a voice shouted back.

Ray walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. He grabbed a water bottle and, twisting the cap off, gulped it down. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, how was your shift?" his teenaged sister, Emily, asked him.

"Pretty slow, no major cases. How was school? How'd your trig test go?" Ray answered, tossing the now empty water bottle into the paper bag they used for recycling.

"Not bad, it helped that you went over some of the stuff with me yesterday. By the way, there's leftover pasta in the refrigerator," Emily said, sitting down at one of the stools at the counter, and stifling a yawn.

"Great, thanks," Ray said, opening the refrigerator again, and retrieving a bowl covered with plastic wrap. "And, like I said, sine and cosine are just about the only things I remember from high school math, so you may as well take advantage," he peered over at his sister, who'd nodded off, with her head resting on her arm. "Emily?"

"Hmm, yeah?" Emily opened her eyes, this time not bothering to cover her huge yawn.

"You okay?" Ray asked, "You haven't been wearing yourself out, making out with Brandon on the couch, have you?" he asked, teasing her with a smile, but with a slight glint of older brother protectiveness in his eye.

"Haha, nope," Emily muttered, this time not bothering to open her eyes. "I've just been feeling exhausted lately."

"Well, then let's get you to bed, young lady. C'mon, move it." Ray said, walking to the counter where his sister was dozing off. "Let's go," he said, scooping up her light frame. "Oof, you're getting heavy," he said, pretending to struggle under her weight.

"Sure, I may be tired, but I'm not deaf!" Emily said, swatting her brother sleepily on the arm.

"Yeah, yeah, I take it back. Your room better not have anything on the floor, because if I trip, we're both in trouble."

Cautiously proceeding through Emily's door, Ray carefully made his way to her bed, where he laid her down. She sighed, and murmured her thanks and said good night.

"'Night, Sweetie," Ray knelt down to kiss her good night. Her forehead felt unusually warm. "Hey, are you feeling okay?" he asked her.

"Fine, just tired," Emily said into her pillow.

"All right, well I'm going to grab the thermometer just in case." Ray said, leaving her room. He found the thermometer in the cabinet in the bathroom.

Returning to Emily's room, he clicked the thermometer on, which gave a soft beep as he stuck it in her ear. He held it there as she stirred slightly, waiting for the thermometer to give a reading.

"100.8," he read. "All right, not too high, but wake me up if you feel worse, okay?" he stood up, smoothed her hair, and left the room.

Now yawning himself, Ray glanced at the clock on the cable box on top of the TV as he settled onto the couch. It was 10:30. After fumbling for the remote, Ray clicked it on, flipping to a cable news station. He scanned the headlines on the crawl at the bottom of the screen, and listened to the political commentary that the host of the show was giving. Not having the energy to deal with more problems in the world than he'd already faced that day, he clicked the TV off and savored the silence for a moment. He got up, and grabbed his forgotten plate of pasta off the counter, and stuck it in the microwave.

While he waited for his food to finish heating up, his eyes fell to the calendar stuck on the cabinet next to the sink. _Funny_, he thought to himself, _it's been almost two years._

Two years ago, Ray and Emily's mother was killed in a car crash. Ray was living on his own, having just finished medical school, and Emily lived with their mom. Their closest relatives lived in Colorado, and Ray felt he couldn't force Emily, then 14, to leave her home and start a brand new life with them after just losing her mother. Therefore, he offered her the chance to come live with him. It wasn't ideal, especially because he kept all sorts of crazy hospital hours, but Emily was 16 now, and didn't need constant supervision anymore. The arrangement worked well for both of them, and they were happy. Ray had initially doubted his abilities to finish raising a teenage girl, as had Emily, but time gave him confidence. The transition from fun, older brother to responsible guardian had been a little bit awkward at first, but now felt natural.

The shrill beeping of the microwave jolted Ray from his thoughts. Gingerly removing his plate, he brought it over to the counter and sat down on a stool.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The shrieking of Ray's alarm shook him from sleep. He looked up at the clock. It read 6:45. Rubbing his eyes, it occurred to him that he didn't hear Emily's usual morning routine in the bathroom. He hurriedly pulled on a sweatshirt that was in a crumpled heap on the floor. Padding down the apartment's cold wooden floors, he knocked briefly on Emily's door before slowly pushing it open. His sister was lying in the same position he'd left her the previous night.

"Hey, Em! Come on, wake up!" Ray whispered urgently to her. Emily shifted her position slightly, muttering something incomprehensible. "You're going to be late, let's go!" he tried again.

"I don't feel so good," Emily mumbled, shifting again, this time sticking her nose in her pillow. Ray felt her forehead, which was burning up.

"Whoa," he said, reaching for the thermometer he'd left on her desk from the night before. He gently put it in her ear, waiting again for it to beep. "103," he said when it did. "Do you hurt anywhere else?" he asked.

"Yeah, my throat and my head," she said, "And I'm so tired."

"Sounds like it could be mono," Ray said. "You're going to need a blood test, honey."

"I don't know if I can, I feel like I can barely lift my head up."

"Okay, well we'll figure something out," he answered. "I'll be back in a little bit, all right?"

Ray went into the living room, grabbing the phone off its cradle. Dialing a number, he perched on the sofa arm listening to it ring.

"ER," said the voice at the other end.

"Hey, Frank, it's Ray. Look, is anyone around?"

"Yeah, Abby's right here," grumbled the desk clerk. Covering the receiver with one hand, he said, "Here, Abby, Ray's on the phone."

"Ray, you better not even be thinking about calling in sick today!" Abby said as soon as she picked up the phone. "We're short staffed and getting swamped already!"

"Yeah, no, but it's good to hear you're in such a jolly mood this morning!" Ray said sarcastically. "Actually, it's my sister, Emily. I think she may have come down with mono. I need to bring her around this morning to get her a blood test. Would you mind helping me out when I get there?"

"Um, sure. What time do you think you'll be by?"

"I don't know, probably within an hour. Thanks in advance, though."

"Yeah, no problem," Abby said, hanging up the phone.

Going back into Emily's room, he laid his hand on her forehead and knelt down beside her.

"Hey, in a little bit we're going to go down to the ER okay? We're going to run a couple tests," Ray said quietly. Emily sighed in response.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After bundling Emily up and effectively carrying her down to the car, Ray navigated through Chicago's streets to County General. He glanced at Emily, who was sacked out in the front seat. All sorts of possibly diagnoses were going through his mind, and as he drove they became more and more absurd. _African sleeping sickness? _he asked himself. _No, _he mentally shook himself with a start, _now you sound like _you're_ the one who needs to go to the hospital. It has to be mono, and a blood test will confirm that._

At the same time, another thought crept into his mind. This was the first time Emily had ever gotten really sick. Of course, she'd had the normal gamut of colds, and the occasional ear infection. If, however, this was as he thought, it would be her first serious illness. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he wondered if it was somehow his fault. This never happened when their mom was alive. Ray shook himself again. _Now you're really losing it, dude. These things happen_. However, no matter what he told himself, he felt the familiar doubts about his parenting abilities arise again slightly.

_ Am I overreacting?_ Ray thought to himself again. _She has a headache and a fever…but also severe fatigue. Classic mono symptoms! (And also African sleeping sickness) No,_ he reasoned _it's just for a blood test, and if it's not mono, then whoops, okay, I made a mistake. But I'm not playing Dr. Barnett right now, so I can jump the gun all I want; I have a responsibility to this girl._

With that final thought, Ray coasted into a parking space, pulled the key out of the ignition, and turned to his sister. Placing a hand on her arm, he said in a low voice,

"Emily, c'mon we're here now." She stirred, giving a low moan. "C'mon, I'll help you." Ray walked around to her side, and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her eyes fluttered open, and he shot her a reassuring smile. "This won't be that bad, okay?"

After wading through the waiting room, they went up to the front desk.

"Hey, Frank. Is Abby around?" Ray asked.

"No, she just went on break a couple minutes ago. Jesus, Barnett, what'd you do to this one?."

"Very funny. No, you remember my sister Emily?"

"Oh, right, the one who lucked out having you to raise her," Frank muttered sarcastically.

"Right," Ray continued, not in the mood for games. "Look, is anyone else around?"

"Uh, Neela's in the lounge," Frank answered.

"Great, and what's open?" Ray asked.

"Curtain three."

After hoisting Emily onto the bed and drawing the curtain around her, Ray made for the lounge.

"I'll be right back, sweetie," he whispered as he left.

Heading into the lounge, Ray walked in just as Neela was getting up from the table, coffee in hand.

"Ray, I didn't know you were on this early," Neela said, sounding surprised.

"I'm not, actually. Can you do a quick blood draw for me?" he answered.

"Um, I guess so. What patient?"

"Actually it's for Emily. I brought her in because she's got a headache and a fever, and is really fatigued. I'm thinking it could be mono. Do you think you could do it?"

"Sure, where is she?"

"I put her in curtain three."

"All right, let me grab a few things and I'll meet you there."

"Great, thanks, I owe you!" Ray shouted after her as she walked down the hall. He watched her retreating back for a moment before remembering Emily, and turned toward her direction.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Hey, Emily, I hear you're not doing too well," Neela said, pulling the curtain aside. After setting a tray down on the table, she grabbed a stool and wheeled it to the bed. Ray was sitting on a chair on the other side.

"No, not really," Emily answered weakly.

"Okay, well I'm going to ask you a few questions and do some other tests first before I draw some blood. Ray, maybe you'd like to wait outside?" Neela asked.

"Wh-what? Oh, um, yeah," Ray answered, clearly not used to being at this end of the stethoscope.

"Actually, I've got a guy in Two who needs sutures…you did say you owed me, right?" Neela asked, with a hint of a smile.

"Okay, I'll uh, get right on that," Ray said, a little bit hesitantly.

"All right," Neela said, turning back to Emily as Ray left. "What's the problem?"

"Well, I felt sort of sick when I went to bed last night, and really tired. I had a headache, too. When I woke up, I had a fever and felt so tired I could barely move," Emily answered slowly.

"Have you ever felt like this before?" Neela asked, making some notes on a chart.

"No, I don't think so," Emily continued, "But I think Ray's taking this a little bit too seriously."

"Okay, well we'll see if we can figure out what's going on," Neela answered, slipping the buds of her stethoscope into her ears. She listened to Emily's lungs before reaching for the blood pressure cuff. After taking her temperature, looking down her throat, and checking her glands, Neela scribbled down a few more things.

"Right," Neela continued, looking up, "Could you be pregnant?"

"What? No!" Emily answered, looking startled, summoning what energy she could muster to show her surprise.

"It's procedure, we have to ask that of all female patients," Neela stated simply. "Do you smoke or use alcohol or drugs?"

"No, none of that."

"Are you on any medication?"

"No, nothing."

"All right. And have you come into salivary contact with anyone in the last month or so, can you remember?"

"Uh, well," Emily stumbled, "I have a boyfriend, and um, we kiss…"

"Okay," Neela said. "Do you usually share drinks with friends, or anything else like that?"

"Not usually, but every now and then…a water bottle at school sometimes."

"All right," Neela continued, "Blood test time." Emily groaned. "Don't worry, I'm really good at it," Neela said with a smile. She stood up, grabbing some supplies off of the tray she'd brought in earlier. Snapping on a pair of gloves, she tied the tourniquet around Emily's right arm, and scrubbed a spot on her inner arm with an alcohol pad. Emily squirmed slightly, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Just relax," Neela said softly, expertly sliding the needle in. "All done," she said after a few moments, affixing a cotton ball to the spot and securing it with a band-aid. She carefully labeled the sample before pulling off her gloves.

"I'll let your brother know we're through. This'll get sent to the lab, and we should have an idea of what we're dealing with. Try to get some rest, okay?" Neela said with a smile, before pulling the curtain closed behind her.

Placing the vial in the lab bin at the front desk, Neela went into exam two to look for Ray. She caught him as he was walking out, snapping off his gloves.

"Hey, how'd she do?" Ray asked.

"She was fine. We'll just wait until we get the results back," Neela answered.

"Thanks again, Neela, for doing this," Ray said gratefully.

"It's no problem, really," she answered with a smile. "And, hey, thanks for taking my sutures,"

"You're welcome," he answered, returning her smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

"Oh, hey Neela, your lab results on Ray's sister just came back," Jerry said as Neela walked by the desk.

"Thanks, Jerry," Neela answered, taking the slip he was holding out to her. "Do you know where Ray is?"

"I think he's back with Emily."

"Okay, thanks," Neela said as she walked away, scanning the results.

She slowly pulled aside the curtain, and found Emily asleep. Ray was settled in the chair next to the bed, dozing with his head slumped between his shoulders. Neela put a hand softly on his arm and his head snapped up, banging into the wall.

"Wh-what—ow!" he yelled as his head made contact. Looking around, bewildered for a moment, he looked around and saw Neela standing over him.

"Ooh, are you okay?" Neela asked, trying to stifle a giggle. "That must've hurt!"

"Yeah, a bit," Ray grumbled, massaging the back of his scalp. He yawned. "What's up?"

"Well," Neela answered, "I have Emily's lab results, but first, you have a little bit of drool right there," she continued with a smile, mirroring the spot on her own face. Ray blushed slightly, and roughly wiped at his chin with his hand.

"Right," Neela continued, "Well, it seems you were right, it's mono. Looks like she's going to be taking some time off of school to rest up, but she should bounce back pretty quickly."

"What's going on?" asked a soft voice behind them. They both turned to see Emily looking up at them with bleary eyes.

"Well, sweetie, looks like you definitely have a case of mono," Ray said, sitting down next to her and smoothing her hair. "The thing is it's caused by a virus, so antibiotics won't work to cure it. The only thing you're going to have to do is stay home and rest for a while."

"What about school?" Emily asked fearfully. Ray was surprised by her tone. If _he'd _been in her position at her age, it certainly wouldn't be the one _he'd_ be using. "I can't miss trig!"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about that right now," Ray soothed his sister. "We can figure all that out later."

"You also need to tell your boyfriend and any other people you may come into salivary contact with about this," added Neela. "They could get sick, too."

"Okay, well that'll be taken care of," Ray said. "For now, though, I just want to get her home."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Here you go," Ray said walking into Emily's room. With an outstretched hand he handed her two Advils and a glass of water. She gingerly took them, and he helped her tip the glass while she drank the water. "That should help with your headache," he said.

As she settled back against her pillows, he laid his forearm across her cheek. "Your fever's gone down," he told her. "Can I get you anything else?"

Emily shook her head, "Thanks," she whispered, "I just want to sleep."

"Okay babe," he whispered as he knelt down to kiss her forehead, "G'night."

Walking out of her room, he pulled her door closed behind him. It was Emily's second day home since her visit to the ER. Ray had taken some vacation time so he could stay at home with her. It was easy enough—she mostly just stayed in bed and slept all day.

_Late afternoon and I've got the place to myself_, Ray thought with a smirk. He glanced around the living room. _Not a whole hell of a lot to do here, though_. He hadn't picked up his guitar in what felt like an eternity—he couldn't rock out with Emily trying to sleep.

As he settled down onto the couch, Ray thought about his current living situation. He'd dated off and on since Emily had come to live with him, but between work and trying to be home as much as possible for her, he'd never really gotten into anything serious. He'd been a little bit afraid of what kind of problems that might lead to. Suppose he _did_ get really involved with someone? Would they move in together? What about Emily? He was pretty sure that could be a little uncomfortable for her. _It's one thing_, he figured, _for a divorced parent to move in with another person, even though that's weird enough as it is. But for an older sibling to do that, when you're living alone with them, that's got to be…awkward._ That had pretty much been his party line for the past two years. As time went on, however, he was beginning to wonder if it was more of an excuse. _After all, it's part of life isn't it? And Emily has joked—ok, taunted—about me not having a girlfriend. Could that be her way of saying that she'd be okay with me being with someone?_

On that thought, Ray thought about something else. _Am I into anyone?_ His first thought was Neela. Lately there had been some kind of spark between them—a look, or a shared smile. _I'm probably just imagining it,_ he said to himself. _I mean, come on. That's ridiculous! There's no way I'm her type, and she can sometimes be so…_Ray was surprised when he couldn't think of a word to dissuade himself from liking her. _Perfect,_ he finished lamely, _she can be so perfect_. At that moment, another voice inside him rose. _Perfect? As in what? As in looks? As in intelligence? As in the whole package? _

_Perfect as in everything_, Ray decided. _There's no way I'm good enough for her. She deserves so much better. Someone who can devote every breath to her, and right now, that's just not me. Face it, dude, you've got a sister to support, and for now, it's best that you just concentrate on her._

Ending on that note, Ray stood up. Gazing out the window, he watched the setting sun. Without realizing what he was doing, he brought his fingers up to the corner of his eye and brushed away the bead of moisture that had gathered there.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When Ray woke up, he didn't know where he was. It took him several moments to take in the living room and realize he had fallen asleep on the couch. Flicking his eyes up at the clock told him it was half-past eight. As his thoughts of food began to entertain themselves in his mind, there was a knock at the door.

"Hey," Ray said as he opened the door. Standing in front of him was Brandon, Emily's boyfriend.

"Hey Ray," Brandon started, "Sorry to just drop by like this, but I wanted to come see Emily. You know, see how she's doing and stuff?"

"Uh, sure, let me see if she's awake. Not too long though, okay? She's still really weak." Brandon nodded.

Slowly they crept down the hall. Emily's door was ajar, and Ray slowly opened it a little more and stuck his head inside.

"Hey," he said softly to Emily, who was lying awake under her covers. "Someone's here to see you," he said as she looked up. She broke into a sleepy smile when she saw Brandon, and her eyes lit up.

"Hi," Brandon said shyly, coming into the room.

"Hi," she answered in a half-whisper.

"I'll uh, leave you guys alone then," Ray said, stepping back into the hall, "But the door stays open, and remember, no spit swapping," he added with a smirk.

"_Spit swapping_?" Emily teased, rolling her eyes slightly as he left. "So, what've you been up to?" she asked, looking at her boyfriend.

"I miss you," he said, settling himself by her feet. "Everyone's asking about you. And Spanish isn't the same without sharing iPod earphones in the back of class," he finished with a smile. "Any idea how long you'll be like this?" Emily shook her head.

"Not really, no. It could be another couple weeks. Meanwhile, feel really bad for Ray—he's taking off work, and I'm worried I'm boring him...I mean, let's face it, I'm not as exciting as a four-car pile-up.

"You are to me!"

Emily laughed softly, "I don't know if I should take that as a complement or not!"

They talked for a few more minutes. Then Ray came back in, "Time's up!" he said.

"Okay," Brandon said. He stood up, kissed the palm of his hand, and rested it briefly on Emily's cheek. "Rest up, all right? I'll see you soon," he said, smiling as he turned to leave.

"Thanks for coming," Emily called out to him.

"At the front door, Brandon turned to Ray, "Thanks for letting me stay, for a little bit," he said, shaking his hand.

"No problem, thanks for stopping by," Ray answered, clapping him on the back. "Later, dude!" he called after him as Brandon headed toward the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Emily had been home for three days. When she woke up on the fourth morning, she felt much better than she had been feeling since she first came down with mono. For the first time, she didn't feel like taking a nap within twenty minutes after opening her eyes.

She lolled around for a little while, enjoying the stillness of the early morning. She watched the shadows from the trees blowing outside dance across her walls. After a while, she began to get bored and wished she could reach her book, but it was lying across the floor. She resigned herself to thinking about the events that had been occurring during the past several days.

_First off,_ she thought, _there's definitely no way I'm ever going to be hoping to come down with _this_ again. Oh, no…I can't believe it, I haven't even thought about school! What am I going to do? What's today? I think…I'm pretty sure it's Thursday. I've missed almost an entire week! And finals start in…three…? No, two and a half weeks! What am I going to do! I—_

A knock on her door interrupted her from her thoughts. "Hey, Em?" she heard Ray's voice call, "You awake?"

"Yeah," she managed to call back just loudly enough to be heard through the wood. As the door opened, she said, "And if I weren't already, I would be with your lovely wake-up call!"

Her brother grinned impishly. "Yeah, well, just wanted to be sure," he said. He held up a plate. "Brought you some toast. How're you feeling today?"

"Better, actually, than I have any other day this week," she said, fighting a yawn. "Don't let this be an indicator, though," she smiled, giving in to it.

"Okay, well that's a good sign. Here, take your toast," Ray offered to her, sitting down next to her on the bed. "If that's the case, we should probably schedule a follow-up doctor's appointment, then. It'd be a good idea to track how you're healing, and see if there are any complications."

"Whoa. Wait a minute. What about complications?" Emily said, her eyes widening.

"Nothing, nothing, honey," Ray said quickly, regretting his slip of the tongue. "Don't worry about that. It's just that when you have any type of illness, unforeseen problems can sometimes occur, but they're usually not serious. Anyway, you seem to be doing fine, so this'll just be routine, okay?" Emily nodded slowly, still seeming unsure. "Hey, come here," he said, reaching his arms out and enveloping her in a hug. "You're going to be all right, do you hear me? I promise, sweetie, you're going to be fine." When he sat back, he saw that Emily quickly wiped away some tears that had started to spill.

"Hey, hey, what's this?" he asked, his voice full of concern, "Look, you have _nothing_ to worry about, all right? This is a really common infection, it's almost like a rite of passage every teenager has to go through! Okay? So you don't need to cry!" he said, leaning over and kissing her hair.

"It's not that," Emily sniffed, "I just…it's _everything_. I'm sick of being stuck here, barely able to walk to the bathroom without needing to take a _break_ halfway there! And I feel bad for you, because—"

"Whoa, whoa! Hang on! _Me_? Why do you feel bad for me?" Ray asked incredulously.

"Well, isn't it obvious? It's got to be dull being stuck here all day, having to take care of your kid sister who's bedridden!"

"Let's just get one thing straight, Em, and I mean this in _all_ sincerity: If I had to be stuck with _anyone_ for four days…sweetie, it'd be you! No contest. Face it, kid, we're in this together," he finished, his grin back.

Emily smiled at his last comment. "Okay," she finally said, "I think I _will_ have some of that toast."

"That's my girl. I'll leave you to your toasting, then, and see about that check-up, okay?" Emily nodded. "I'll be back in a little bit, don't try to run laps or anything now just to spite me, all right?" he joked, standing up.

"Okay, then, see you," she answered.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As Ray left Emily's room, he inhaled deeply before blowing all of the air out threw his mouth. Emily had taken him by surprise with her comments; he'd had no idea that she felt the way the way she did. Remembering that he needed to call Emily's pediatrician to make her an appointment, he picked up the phone and found the office number on the refrigerator. As he dialed, he poured some coffee into a mug while waiting for someone to pick up.

"Dr. Morgen's office," a cheery voice answered on the third ring.

"Yes, hello, my name is Dr. Ray Barnett, and I'd like to make an appointment for my sister Emily. She's been diagnosed with mono, and I'd like her to have a follow-up exam and blood test."

"Okay, what's the name?"

"Emily Barnett."

"All right. Dr. Morgen has an opening today, actually, at 3:00. Would that work for you?"

"Yes, that would be great, thanks." Hanging up, Ray took a final swig of coffee. He stood at the counter blinking for a moment, watching the mid-morning sunshine pour in through the kitchen shutters.

Walking back to Emily's room, Ray stood in the doorway and said to her, "I made you an appointment for today at three, okay? You should probably get some rest before that, okay?" Emily nodded in a tired way, looking like she'd had similar plans.

Ray walked back down the hall, intending to clean the apartment. He wasn't much for cleaning, and Emily usually straightened up. With her out of commission for the past several days, the place had pretty much taken on a life of its own. Ray smiled, realizing that it was good Emily hadn't seen the small mess that had built up; he was fairly certain that she would have had a compulsion to get up and tidy.

Just as Ray was beginning to tackle several dirty dishes that had piled up in the sink, there was a knock at the door. Slightly puzzled, he dried his hands on a towel, and went to see who it was. Neela was the last person he'd ever expected to see.

"Hey," she said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. "I just—wanted to stop by and see how Emily was doing."

"Thanks, that was sweet," Ray said, the memory of his last thoughts about her coming back all too quickly. "Actually, she just fell asleep again," he stepped aside, "Want to come in, though?"

"Sure," Neela sounded genuinely pleased.

"Sorry it's such a mess here, I was actually just starting to tackle it."

Neela took off her coat and slung it across the couch. "Want some help?" she asked, "I wash a mean fork."

"Thanks, that'd be great, if you're sure you don't mind…?"

"No, really, it'd be no trouble at all. I'm not on today, and figured you might be able to use a hand over here," she answered.

"You're a _goddess_, thanks a lot!"

With Neela at the sink, Ray began sorting through the mail that had been tossed haphazardly on the counter. When that was done, he took a sponge and starting wiping everything down.

"So, what've you been up to lately?" he asked her as he worked.

"Nothing much, really. Just working, trying to get the bills paid, not getting nearly enough sleep," she laughed. "You know, that sort of thing. So, how've you been doing?"

"Well enough, I guess. This is a new side of this job for me. It's like I'm fighting to keep my clinical side from taking over and totally detaching me, but at the same time I'm trying to prevent my brother side from blowing this entirely out of proportion and freaking out."

Neela nodded sympathetically as she scraped the bottom of a pan. "Where do you strike a happy medium?" she asked.

"Somewhere between speaking English as opposed to medical jargon, and sorting the mail," he said, nodding to indicate the pile he'd made several moments earlier. "But, yeah, on the whole, I'm doing okay. We both are."

"How's she doing? Is she getting any better?"

"I think so. She seemed pretty good this morning, better than she's been all week."

"That's good. Has she had any more blood work?"

"I made her an appointment for today with her doctor, actually. I also may have made the mistake of mentioning the possibility of complications from mono. I think I freaked her out."

"That whole happy medium thing again?" Neela asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, as a doctor I need to anticipate the worst-case scenario, which if she were just another patient, would be for any complications. I probably shouldn't have let it slip out, though."

"I bet it's one of the only things going through your mind right now, though," Neela said.

"Pretty much, yeah. I'm just trying to keep the statistics in mind, and realize that the worst ones are really rare. Strep throat, I can deal with. But a ruptured spleen…that's when my imagination gets carried away."

"Well, look, just remember that those things are all treatable, right? So just concentrate on…sorting your mail," she said with a smile, "And take every thing else just one step at a time, all right?"

Ray nodded. "Guess so," he muttered.

"Okay," Neela said as she dried the last plate. "Dishes are finished. How about some laundry next?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Uh, I'll just um, sort these," Ray stammered as he and Neela stood over his hamper in his room. Neela was being very sweet, but he wasn't sure he'd _quite_ reached the level where he was comfortable with her touching his dirty boxers…he stopped himself mid-thought before his thoughts got too carried away. "Actually, Emily's probably got some laundry that's built up, if you want to tackle that."

"Okay, well I'll go see," Neela said. She tentatively opened Emily's door and saw that she was awake. "Hey," she said when Emily turned and saw her.

"Hi," Emily answered.

"I'm just helping Ray with some chores. Do you have any laundry you need done?"

"Yeah, I think so. There's a basket just inside my closet."

Neela found the basket. "How're you doing?" she asked Emily as she hiked the basket up on her hip.

"Better today. Actually, do you think that while you're here, you could convince Ray to get out for a little while? He could really use it."

"I can try. He'll definitely need some persuading though. It's eleven now, and this afternoon you have a doctor's appointment, so maybe later tonight. In the meantime, I'm helping him get some things in order."

"Okay, well thanks for the laundry."

"No problem," Neela smiled. "You should rest before your appointment," she said as she left the room.

Neela found Ray in the living room with two laundry baskets, one filled with dark colors and the other with lights.

"What?" Ray asked when he saw her.

"Nothing, nothing," Neela said, trying to hide her smile. "It's just…you with laundry," she giggled. "I never thought I'd see this side of you, Dr. Barnett."

"Yeah, yeah…_Dr. Rasgotra_," Ray said, flashing her a smile back.

Neela quickly sorted Emily's clothes into Ray's baskets. They each took one, and Neela followed Ray out to the apartment laundry room.

Once inside, Ray fished around in his pocket for some quarters. He started filling the washing machine, and added the clothes.

"You don't do this much, do you?" Neela asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Ray asked, smiling ruefully.

"Well, for one thing, you forgot detergent!"

"Ah, well, easily fixed!" Ray said triumphantly, lifting the lid and pouring in the soap with gusto, trying to cover his slip-up.

"Wait, stop! Not so mu—" Neela tried to stop him, but it was too late. Ray hadn't measured out the proper amount, and instead poured it directly from the bottle into the basin. They both froze for a moment, and then looked at the washing machine, then at each other. At the same moment, they both burst out laughing.

"Here, let me finish this," Neela said, taking a step forward. Ray watched as she twisted and pulled several knobs, and finally put the lid back down. The machine roared to life as she did.

"That was…" Ray trailed off as he realized how close they were. He took a small step closer, further closing the gap.

"Good?" Neela said softly, taking her own step closer.

"Very good," Ray whispered. They were inches apart now.

"Great, then you can do the next load!" Neela said cheerily, stepping back and pressing some more quarters into the palm of his hand.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Hey, Em?" Ray called as he walked through the door. "I'm back! I'm just going to go help Neela bring the rest of it up!" He perched the laundry basket with freshly folded clothes on the arm of the couch. He looked at it, then thought better as he set it on the table instead. With that, he walked back outside to meet Neela.

He found her still in the laundry room, folding the last of Emily's shirts. She stuffed it on top of all the others.

"Here, I can take that," Ray offered, walking past her as she held the door open.

"It's almost two," Neela said, glancing at her watch. "How far away is her doctor?"

"Morgen's office is a couple blocks away from County," he answered.

"Morgen, Morgen..." Neela muttered, searching her memory, "I know I've heard the name."

"Yeah, we refer Peds cases to her, she specializes in adolescents." They rounded the stairs, and soon were back in the apartment.

"I'm going to check on her and let her know we're going to need to leave in a little bit," Ray said, setting the basket down next to the first one. He rapped lightly on her door.

"Come in," Emily called.

"Hey," Ray said as he sat down at her feet. "It's just after two, we've got about twenty minutes before we need to leave." Emily groaned. "Aw, come on," he groaned back, being over the top to make her laugh. "It won't be _that bad_, only _this_ bad," he teased, holding his hands up to "measure."

"Hey, not funny!" she whined. "I'm freaked!"

"There's nothing to be _freaked_ about sweetie, you _know_ what's going to happen. See, if you _didn't _know, _then_ you could be freaked. But since you _do_, you can be _apprehensive_," he explained with the mock air of a professor. "Get it? You're three whole syllables up on just being _freaked_."

"Whatever, freaked or apprehensive, it doesn't matter. Try this: _I don't want to go_!"

"Well look Em, I understand you're…" he hesitated, "_nervous_, but like I said, you're going to be fine. It's just a boring old exam and a quick blood draw, okay? And don't worry, if they bring out the stretching rack, I'll kick their asses—"

"The _what_?"

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Ray said, rubbing her arm. "Yeesh, I was only joking! You're really tense, you know that?"

"Yeah, maybe because my brother seems to think it's funny to scare the crap out of me!"

"Okay, okay, calm down honey," Ray said, sensing that he needed to tone it down. "You're going to be fine, and I'll stay with you! If it gets to be too much on you, we'll work through it together. Deal?"

"Deal."

"All right, we're cool then?"

"Like ice."

"And, Em? Just on a side note, when you're better and everything, we _need_ to work on your comebacks!" She playfully swatted him as he stood up, pretending to shield himself. "You should get dressed in a few minutes though, okay? Do you want Neela to come and give you a hand?" he said at the door.

"Uh, I don't think so, but could you bring me the laundry you just did?"

"Sure, be right back." He slipped out and reappeared a moment later with her laundry basket.

"Thanks, I'll get ready."

"Okay, I'll just be hanging out in the living room."

Ray walked back down the hall, but paused when he saw his bedroom light was on.

"Oh, sorry!" Neela jumped as she saw him standing in the doorway. She was fluffing his pillow, and turned to face him as she set it down in its place on his well-made bed.

"What're you doing in here?"

"Oh, just trying to be helpful. Sorry, I didn't mean to invade your space or anything."

"Nah, it's fine, I'm just trying to remember the last time I actually tucked the sheets under the mattress."

"Yeah, that's me, ER doctor slash sheet-tucker," she said, shrugging her shoulders with a smile. "It's a habit, I have an obsessive bed-making quality, and always feel the need to do others'."

"Well, thanks I guess," Ray said. "But, bed-making _quality_?" he asked with a grin.

She laughed. "It's a talent, really."

"I'm sure. Just like that washing machine magic you worked earlier!"

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for housework!"

Before either of them realized what was happening, they were both just inches apart, like they had been in the laundry room. Without warning, Ray tilted Neela's chin up and enveloped her lips with his. She ran one of her hands through his hair, the other caressing his shoulder. It briefly crossed her mind how very muscular he was, and she was surprised she hadn't taken notice of it before. However, all thoughts flew from her mind as Ray deepened the kiss, lightly running his tongue against her bottom lip and she allowed it to slip inside.

"Whoa," she said softly after a few moments. "What just happened? Did we kiss? We're kissing?" her voice rose slightly.

"Well, not anymore, technically speaking," Ray said in a whisper, the amusement and happiness apparent.

"But…can we do that?" Neela whispered back, her voice wavering.

"I don't exactly see the Thought Police crashing through here, so I'm guessing it's a go!"

"Ray," she said quietly but forcefully, putting a hand on his arm, "I meant, can _we_ do that?"

Ray glanced at the clock behind her. "Well, we can't do it _now_, Emily and I have to get going. We'll talk about this okay? But, uh…" he touched a finger to her bottom lip, and continued gently, "it was great."

Neela smiled, touching the spot when he put his hand down. "I'd better get going too, I'll call though, and maybe come by later?" she asked.

"Absolutely. Later, just call," he said, turning and walking out of his room. He went back down the hallway. "Em, honey we've got to go!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It had taken some time and a lot of patience, but Ray and Emily finally were zipping through Chicago's streets to her doctor's appointment. Ray kept glancing at her, her anxiety not lost on him.

"Em, like I said, you're going to be _fine_."

"I know!" Emily snapped back, a little too harshly, even for her own standards. "I _know_," she continued, "I just need some time to think, okay?"

"Sure, sure, no problem," Ray said as he coasted to a stop at a red light. He flipped the radio on. The music transported both of them into their own separate worlds.

When Ray pulled up the building, he saw Emily stiffen. Remembering her reaction earlier, he decided to let it go. He drove around into the parking lot, and searched for an empty space. He unbuckled himself and opened his door, then walked around to help Emily. He took her by the arm and guided her toward the lobby, allowing her to lean on him when she needed to stop and breathe for a moment.

"Do you remember which office she's in?" Ray asked as he scanned the directory.

"No, just that it's the fifth floor."

"Aha! Found it. Room 525."

They made their way to the elevator. They stood in silence as the buttons lit up with each passing floor. When the bell dinged and the doors opened, they disembarked, turning left.

"519, 21, 23," Ray mumbled, scanning the numbers on the doors. "525."

He opened the door and held it open for Emily, who collapsed on the nearest chair. He walked up to the receptionist.

"Hi, Emily's here for her 3:00," he said to the woman. She consulted her patient list.

"Right! Emily Barnett, 3:00. Just sign in right here," she pointed to a clipboard, "And a nurse will call her in a little while."

"Thanks," Ray said as he turned back to sit with Emily. She rested her head on his shoulder as he sat down next to her. _The same shoulder_, he thought to himself, _that Neela was touching not even a half an hour ago_. They waited in silence. Ray looked around the waiting room. It was clearly a pediatrician's but without quite as many building blocks and toddler books. He surveyed the other people sitting on the various chairs and couches. Some were probably parents, others were other patients waiting to be seen. He looked down at his shoulder. Emily's eyes were closed.

"Emily? Emily Barnett?" a nurse called from the door, reading off a chart. Ray touched Emily's knee, letting her know it was time to get up.

"Right here," he called out, answering for her. Emily opened her eyes, seeming to take a few minutes to orient herself.

"Come follow me," the nurse said. She reminded Ray of Sam, but her hair was darker and she looked a little bit older. "Okay," she said as she showed them into an exam room. Emily clambered on to the table, and then sat down beside her on a chair. The nurse flipped open her chart and placed it on the counter next to the sink. "I'm Jessica, by the way. And you…?" she trailed off, looking back down at the chart, "Are her brother Ray," she finished, looking at him.

"Doctor, actually, Dr. Ray Barnett. I'm an ER doc at County," Ray said, extending his hand. Jessica shook it.

"So, Emily," she continued, "I see you've had a case of mono, and you're just here for a follow-up. Why don't you change into this," she took out a gown from a cabinet and handed it to her, "And we'll come back and get some vitals out of you." Jessica and Ray both left the room.

Slowly Emily began to undress. _Just calm down, okay?_ She tried to tell herself. _This is no big deal. Just relax!_ She always hated being at the doctor. When she was little, she'd always be the patient that would scream at the top of her lungs whenever anyone approached her with any kind of needle. She remembered with a smile when Neela had taken her blood a few days ago in the ER. It had taken every ounce of self-restraint not to kick and scream and cry like in the old days. _Now it looks like you're going to have to do the same thing again_.

A knock at the door jolted her from her thoughts. "How're you doing?" Jessica's voice called to her.

"Done!" Emily said back. The door slid open.

"You know the drill; blood pressure, temp, pulse, and resps. Then we'll measure and weigh you. Your brother's going to wait outside until the doctor comes in."

"Okay," Emily said softly, allowing Jessica to conduct her tests.

After a little while, Emily had had her vitals taken. She'd loosened up a little bit, but her palms were still sweaty as the promise of needles hung in the air.

"I'll let your brother know we're done, and send him in," Jessica said as she made a few more notes in her chart. She capped her pen and left.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"How'd you do?" Ray asked as he stepped into the exam room, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Well my head didn't spin around and I managed to keep the split pea soup at bay," Emily answered sarcastically from her perch on the table.

"See? That's called progress!" Ray answered in the same tone. "Anyway, we've probably got some time to wait," he said, taking the seat he'd had before.

They sat in silence for several moments. Then Emily began tugging at her gown and tapping her feet against the table, while Ray started alternating between inflating his cheeks with air and clacking his teeth together. They both continued until their fidgeting began to annoy one another. They looked at each other. Ray let out the last of the air in his cheeks, and Emily quickly smoothed her gown.

A knock at the door interrupted the silence that had once again washed over them. They both turned as the door opened and Dr. Morgen came in.

"It's been a while since I've seen you guys," she said pleasantly. Dr. Morgen was tall with straight brown hair and in her late thirties. She'd become Emily's pediatrician several years ago when Emily outgrew the _Highlights_ magazines in her old doctor's waiting room. "So Dr. Barnett, how's the ER treating you?" she asked turning to Ray.

"Like a full moon every night, but it's great," he joked

"I bet. All your referrals are great for business!" she laughed. "All right Emily, so mono, huh?" Emily nodded. "Okay, well we can handle that." She slipped her stethoscope off from around her neck and slid it just under Emily's gown to listen to her heart. She then moved it to her back and listened to her lungs.

"What about a sore throat?" she asked.

"Um," Emily hesitated. "A little."

Ray looked surprised. "Really? Why didn't you mention it?" Emily shot him a look.

"I didn't really _think_ about it, because it's not that bad," she explained, "I get them from time to time."

"A sore throat can be a sign of strep throat, which can be a complication of mono," Dr. Morgen explained. "We're going to draw some blood anyway, so we can see if it's strep. If it is, there are antibiotics that'll clear it up."

The rest of the exam was uneventful, exactly like the ones Emily had endured all throughout her childhood. Dr. Morgen examined her abdomen, feeling for any abnormalities.

"Your spleen is enlarged," she said.

"Is that bad?" Emily asked.

"No, it frequently happens with mono, but usually, it's not enough to feel. You'll need to be very careful to avoid any trauma that could rupture it, because it's very fragile," she paused when she saw the look on Emily's face. "Rupture is really rare, though. But if you feel any pain in your abdomen, it's really important to tell someone, okay?" Emily nodded.

"When will it return to its normal size?"

"Within about four weeks," she answered, standing up. "Okay, any more questions?" she asked, looking first at Emily, then at Ray. They both shook their heads. "Good, then I'll send Jessica in for your blood test, and we'll call you with the results," she said, ending with a smile.

"Thank you," Ray said standing up, offering his hand.

"No problem," she answered, taking it. "And keep sending those ER patients my way!" she joked.

"Will do," he said with a laugh.

Once Dr. Morgen left, Ray turned to Emily. "Not bad, right?" he asked her. She shook her head slightly, suddenly staring very determinedly at the floor. "What's the matter?" he asked stepping closer to her. She looked up at him and he could see her jaw working and the hint of a tear in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh Em," he said giving her a hug. "I promise it'll be really quick."

"You must think I'm a real baby," she said with a laugh.

"Hey, look, I get it!" he said, leaning next to her against the table. Who d'you think used to help mom hold you down when you were younger? This needle thing, it runs in the family, you know. Once when I was little I ran away from the nurse, and ended up tearing through the halls in my underwear. I would've made it out the door if they hadn't caught me!" Emily laughed. "And, just so you know, I haven't _exactly_ outgrown that running thing yet. Last year I had to have Abby 'surprise' me with a flu shot because I wouldn't get one otherwise."

"Okay, so that's my goal: to be able to get a flu shot without having to have a coworker jump me with one!" They both laughed.

"And, hey, look. I'm kinda relieved that you have this one ah—_insecurity_. You've been so awesome and fearless during this whole thing, it's nice to know that you've still got one area that you could use my help in," he finished, kissing her forehead.

"Careful, you're not about to break into song or anything now, are you?" Emily teased. "You never know, with those tender moments we have!"

The door slid open, announcing Jessica's arrival. She was carrying a tray, which she set on the counter. "All ready?" she asked, pulling on a pair of gloves. Emily made a noise that sounded like a combination of the word "yes" getting stuck in her throat and a whimper. Ray squeezed her hand.

Jessica gently extended Emily's arm and cleaned it with antiseptic then tied a tourniquet to her upper arm. When the needle was slid in, Emily squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on how she had been when Neela had done it. She also didn't ignore the images of Colin Farrell that popped in as well.

When the tourniquet and needle were removed and a band-aid applied, Emily congratulated herself on another blood draw well done. Jessica left the room and Emily turned to look at Ray.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

"Right there with ya, babe!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"You hungry?" Ray asked Emily as they walked in to their empty apartment.

"Not really," she answered. "I think I just need to get back to bed."

"Okay," he said. "I'll bring you some juice though—" he trailed off when he saw the look on her face. "Just, give me a break, all right?" he asked.

"Fine," she said, resigning herself to his offer. "Just so you know, this whole you-the-doctor thing is getting a little weird. I can take it in small doses, but—"

"But you love me anyway, right?" he interrupted with a smirk as he opened the refrigerator.

"That's _one_ word for it."

"Okay, okay, Emily," Ray said, suddenly sounding weary as he straightened up to open a cabinet. Emily must have noticed it too, because Ray suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around him. He looked down and returned his sister's hug.

"Thanks for everything," she said into his chest.

"Like I said, no one else I'd rather do it for."

After a moment, Emily said "Okay, well I'm going to go to my room." She took the juice Ray had poured with her.

When she got into her room, Emily immediately kicked off her shoes and pulled off her sweatshirt. She grabbed her book and tossed it on the foot of her bed, remembering that she'd wanted it earlier. She settled herself against her pillows, and let out a deep breath.

Ray had left the kitchen and had collapsed on the couch. He squished his eyes closed and massaged his temples. This was the first chance he'd had to process what had happened between him and Neela earlier.

_Dude, you kissed her. Call it what it was, not "something that happened." You kissed her. You kissed Neela!_ Ray smiled at the thought. _Yeah, I kissed her!_ Once the novelty had worn off slightly, another thought occurred to him. _What's next? Are things going to be weird? Is she doing that "chick thing" and turning it over and over in her mind, analyzing it from all angles? Hang on, that's what I'm doing right now! Has she told anyone? A friend? Someone I know? Has she told Abby? Has Abby told anyone? I've got to talk to her, I've got to call her—_

The ringing of the phone interrupted his thoughts.

"'Lo?" he said into the receiver.

"Hey, it's me," Neela's voice floated over the line pleasantly, sounding a little bit hesitant.

"Hey."

"I was just thinking—"

"Yeah, me too."

"Okay, well we should talk."

"Yeah."

"We probably shouldn't do this over the phone."

"I know."

"I'm free right now, actually, if you want me too…" she trailed off, her voice full of hope.

"Yeah, sure," he said, hating the fact that he seemed to have been reduced to quick-worded statements."

"All right, I'll come over. How about if I bring something to eat?"

"That'd be great, thanks."

Silence hung thickly for several moments.

"Well, I'll see you," Neela said quickly at the same time Ray said "Um, okay then." They both laughed.

"Why is this so uncomfortable?" Neela asked.

"I don't know, maybe because it's new, and because it's us?"

"Maybe," Neela said, not sounding entirely convinced. "We'll talk. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you." Ray hung up the phone, staring at it. Then suddenly, he threw his arms in the air and shouted "Yes!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Neela hung up the phone and gazed out the window. Some clouds just outside caught her attention. She watched them as they drifted by almost imperceptibly slowly. She remembered how as a child she used to lie on her back outside and stare up at the sky, using her imagination to see different images within the clouds. _A hippopotamus or a dinosaur_ she thought with a smile. _I guess those days are over now, when my biggest problem of the day was trying to figure out if I was seeing a scorpion or stethoscope._ In the end, it was always a stethoscope.

_This isn't a problem though, is it? Ray, he's not a problem. What is the problem? Is it me? No, well—I wouldn't go that far. I think it's just the idea of…us. I mean, we're from completely different backgrounds, different worlds, really. The idea that we could have anything special is ludicrous…but why does it seem like it would be so right?_ Neela's brain lapsed into silence as she drew a deep breath.

_Maybe I'm thinking too much. No, that's ridiculous, you can't think too much! But maybe there's a time in your life where you need to take the backseat, and trust something else to drive you. What, exactly? The…Force, or something,_ Neela thought, remembering the _Star Wars_ movies Ray had once made her watch. _Oh, brilliant. Yeah, now I sound like I've just about completely lost it. All I need to do is start rambling on about a fat little baby with wings shooting people in the ass with a bow and arrow. Yeah, that'd get me a Thorazine drip and a 72 hour hold. Perfect._

_I need a plan. Okay, okay, a plan. Come on, think! I'm just going over there with some food and to talk. What kind of food, and what are we going to talk about? Oh, don't be an idiot Neela, you know perfectly well what we're going to talk about! How about some pizza—no, not pizza. Too impersonal, we're not going to watch a football game…oh, excuse me, _American _football. I'll pick up…Chinese. Excellent, yes, Chinese! And I'll just pick some up and go over to his apartment, easy as pie. Oh no, pie! Do I need to bring dessert? He didn't say anything about dessert! Honestly, am I supposed to be in charge bringing every morsel of food that is put into our mouths? Would it be so hard for him to just dig some ice cream out of the freezer? I don't even know why I'm giving this any thought, I don't even think I can eat dinner, much less anything else! I think I'm panicking. I think my brain's cranking into overdrive. I'm sure Ray's not freaking out like this. After all, he's got Emily to worry about, doesn't he? Emily! Where's she going to be? Asleep, probably. Hopefully! How awkward would that be, to be having possibly one of the most important conversations of my life, and to have his kid sister listening to the whole thing! I'm sure he's taken care of that though; this can't be easy for him, either. But there's no way he's doing this. Is there?_

Neela brought her palm to her forehead with a large smack. _That's it. No more thinking for you. Deep breath…that's it…now let it out…slowly…excellent. Now, no more bloody mile-a-minute thoughts! _


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Emily woke up sluggishly, trying to figure out why she was so uncomfortable. It took a moment of blinking, breathing, and swallowing before she realized what was wrong. Suddenly, she threw back her sheets, clasped her hand to her mouth, and bolted for the bathroom. She flew past Ray in the hallway, who looked like he'd been about to go check on her. He followed her with a confused look into the bathroom and managed to get a perfect view of the first wave of vomit that poured out of Emily's mouth.

"Whoa!" Ray said as Emily gave another heave. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with cool water and handed it to Emily as she rocked back on her heels. "Where did _that_ come from?" he asked as he reached up to flush the toilet before squatting next to her. She shrugged her shoulders as she pressed the washcloth to her forehead, seeming almost afraid to open her mouth.

"Do you think you're done?" he asked her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Mm," Emily mumbled into the washcloth, with a tone that indicated "I don't know."

"All right, well let me grab you some water," Ray said, standing up. He found a paper cup in the medicine cabinet, filled it from the tap, and then handed it to her.

"So this just came really suddenly? You were asleep and then bam?"

"Pretty much," Emily murmured with a nod.

"Any stomachache, headache, difficulty swallowing? Does your throat still hurt?" Ray asked as he stood up again, rummaging in the cabinet for the thermometer. "Hang on," he said as he clicked it on and placed it gently in her ear. Emily closed her eyes as he did so, settling herself more comfortably against the bathroom tile.

"Well," Ray said as he looked at the screen. "101. Your fever must've come back when you were asleep. So how about the stomachache or headache?"

"Yeah, I think my stomachache's what woke me up. My head's been hurting a little bit, but nothing major. And my throat's still the same as earlier—a little sore," Emily said softly.

"Okay, well I'm wondering if it's strep," Ray said, running a hand through his hair. Your test results won't be back at least until tomorrow, I wonder if I should take you to the ER for a rapid strep test?" Ray said, trailing off at the end as though he was thinking out loud.

"Um..." Emily said shrugging, not sure what else to say.

"It'll take about twenty minutes, so we won't be there long," Ray explained. "And if it's positive, we can start you on antibiotics sooner."

"Uh, yeah, I guess then," Emily said, perking up at the word "antibiotics."

"I just have to—" Ray was interrupted by the doorbell. "—call Neela," he finished lamely, stepping over Emily to answer the door.

"Hey," Ray said as he opened the door and saw Neela's hopeful face, arms laden with food. "Actually, I was just about to call you…"

"What happened?" Neela asked, her smile wavering as she stepped over the threshold and placed the food on the counter.

"It's Emily, actually, she just started vomiting and I was thinking about bringing her down to the ER for a rapid strep test."

"Does she have any other symptoms?"

"Fever, stomachache, sore throat and headache," Ray said, counting them off.

"Well then yeah, I'd go," Neela said.

"She had a blood test earlier today, but I won't get the results back until probably tomorrow, and I figured if she could get tested…"

"Yeah, yeah, I think it's the right thing to do."

"Hey, look, I'm _really_ sorry. I was really looking forward to spending some time together," Ray said apologetically.

"Oh no, no, don't worry about it," Neela said, waving him off. "Look, this takes precedence."

"Thanks for understanding," Ray said as he walked back toward the bathroom. "And, hey, I guess you can stay here since we won't be very long. Just don't make off with my stereo and TV or anything!" he called over his shoulder.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Okay, now open really wide and stick your tongue out."

Emily did as she was told as Abby gently swabbed the back of her throat. The swab triggered her gag reflex, and she coughed as Abby carefully labeled her sample. Ray thumped her on the back and looked up at Abby.

"When do you think you'll have the results?" he asked.

"Shouldn't be too long," Abby answered, "We can have them in about twenty minutes, but it depends on if the lab is backed up."

Emily stopped coughing and leaned against the hospital bed. "Now what?" she asked.

"Now," Ray said, turning to her, "We wait. If it's strep, we'll do antibiotics. Either ten days of oral meds, but if you keep vomiting, we should probably just give you a one-time penicillin injection." He felt Emily tense beside him.

"Let's not worry about that right now," Abby interjected, "Before we have a diagnosis. I'm going to go drop this off and I'll come back when the results come in," she finished with a smile, then turned and left Exam Three.

"Thanks Abby!" Ray called after her.

Once Abby left, Emily looked Ray straight in the eye. "Okay. The injection thing? What, are you just looking for _excuses_ to freak me out? I'll have you know mister, I let you in on a very deep dark secret of mine, telling you about my shot issues!" she exclaimed, her voice rising to an unnaturally high pitch.

Ray gave an apologetic grin, "Okay, look, calm down! I just figured you'd rather have the facts up front than to have them dumped on you at the last minute! Especially because you threw up three more times at home and once since we got here—do you need another basin?" he asked as Emily went pale. She nodded and he handed her an empty one just in time for her to unload what Ray hoped was the very last of her stomach contents.

"How're you doing?" he asked as she wiped her mouth with a tissue. He squeezed her hand when several tears leaked out of her eyes. "It's not that bad," he said, standing up to rub her back.

"It _is_ that bad!" Emily choked out. "I've been sick _forever_, first with mono, now this!" she shrieked, knowing that she was about to make some wild statements. "And what now? You're tired of taking care of me, so you figure you'll pay me back with another _needle_? What, you're pissed because I'm interrupting time you could be spending with _Neela_!" she spat out the name like it was a dirty word.

"Okay. Look," Ray took a step back. "I can't talk to you when you're like this. Just calm down. You're saying ridiculous things, things that you _know_ are ridiculous, so I'm not going to even bother trying to refute them." He continued, "I think we both need a break from each other right now. I'm going to leave you here until Abby gets back and see if there's a patient anyone needs help with. I love you," he said, stooping down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, "And I'll be back." With that, Ray left the room.

Emily sat for a moment, stewing in her own anger and feelings of helplessness. She felt mad at the world: mad at Ray and all of the doctors, whom she felt were belittling her, mad at everyone else who didn't fall under the "medical" category, and especially mad at herself. She didn't know why she'd snapped. She just felt the weight of everything that had been crushing her suddenly come to a breaking point. She knew she hadn't been fair to Ray, but he wasn't being fair either. Did he really expect all of this not to take a toll on her?

And Neela. She was sure there was something going on between the two of them, something very new. She sat there, relieved that the focus was no longer on her and her problems. She wasn't sure how she felt about Neela. She was okay, but she could be a little bit…what was the word? She didn't know what she thought about the idea of Ray and Neela as a couple. _Maybe it'll grow on me_, she thought, _kind of like fungus._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Hey, where'd Ray go?" Abby asked, taking a look around when she came into the room.

"Uh, he said he was going to see if anyone needed any help out there," Emily answered. Mumbling, she added, "We sort of had a…disagreement."

"I see," Abby said, nodding thoughtfully, taking a seat on a stool and wheeling herself over to the bed. "Well, I have your lab results, and it's strep, like we suspected. Now, you know we have a couple antibiotic choices. There are the regular doses for about a week, or there's the one-time injection. I _know_ what your preference is—" she emphasized, as Emily shot her a look "—but with your vomiting, I think the injection would be much more effective, much more quickly."

"Yes, but what if I don't _want_ to _deal_ with getting stuck again?"

"Well, I think this comes down to a clinical judgment call. Which, on this one, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to opt for the shot," Abby finished, shrugging apologetically.

Emily was about to open her mouth again when Ray stuck his head in. "Hey," he said. "What's going on?"

"Hi," Abby answered. "I was just telling Emily that her labs came back positive for strep, and we were discussing her treatment options."

"I see," Ray said, pulling up his own stool. From the look on Emily's face, he guessed that the treatment had already been decided on. "Look," he started, "I know it sucks, but is it possible you're blowing this a little bit out of proportion? I mean, come on Em, you're stronger than this!" he finished, in an attempt to appeal to her sense of pride.

"Whatever," Emily muttered, picking at her cuticles.

"Okay then," Abby said, standing up. "I'll be back in a minute."

Once they were alone, Ray turned back to Emily. "So, what's going on? I know this isn't about some stupid shot. This is about something else. The way you lost it earlier—talk to me, Em!"

Emily looked up, startled. "Okay, fine. I overreacted about the shot. Happy?"

"No," Ray said, seizing her hands. "I care about you, and I want to help you, but I can't if you don't open up!"

"Look, it's not like that. It's a combination of things, you know? This whole thing—I'm sorry I freaked with you earlier, but I'm dealing with it, okay? I know I've been a little melodramatic, I'll try to tone it down—" she saw Ray about to interrupt her "—and I'll come to you if I need anything," she added significantly.

Ray took a deep breath. "Okay," he said simply. Then a smirk began to leak out of the corner of his mouth. "You and me, kid. You and me," he said, breaking into a wide smile.

He continued, "So we're cool, right? You'll be okay with a shot? Basically, I'm asking if I'm going to be needing an x-ray because you'll be squeezing my hand so hard!"

Emily laughed, "Yeah, I'm fine…but I'm not making an x-ray promises!"

Ray laughed too. They sat for a few moments, waiting for Abby to return.

"All right," she said when she came back in. "How're we doing?"

"Good enough, let's just get this over with," Emily said through her tightly clenched jaw.

"Sounds like a plan. And, I'm pretty good with this injection thing; just ask your brother," Abby grinned.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

A week later, Emily was doing really well. She had regained most of her energy, although she still wasn't able to go back to school. She and Ray were getting along, probably helped by the fact that she was now much more independent. Ray took her strength as a sign that he should talk to her about some of the recent changes that had occurred in his life.

"Hey," he called through her door, knocking at the same time. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Emily called back.

"Hey," he said again as he opened her door. He spied her desk chair and dragged it forward, seating himself on it. "What's up?"

"Not much," she answered. Then indicating the book in her lap, she added, "Reading."

"Ah," he replied knowingly. He continued, "So hey Em, I wanted to talk to you."

Emily's thoughts began to race. She knew he must have been waiting to have this talk with her. She knew it was about him and Neela. Should she play dumb and act surprised? Or—

"I know about you and Neela," she blurted out without thinking.

"Wh-what? Whoa. Well, um, yeah," Ray stammered, taken aback.

"I mean, I don't _know_, but I know that's what you came here to talk to me about, right?"

"Yeah, actually," Ray said, having recovered from his initial shock.

"So?"

"So?" he asked her back. "Oh, right. _So._ Well Em, there's not a whole lot to tell. We're not even really sure what to call it—but I just wanted to let you know. From me. As opposed to…some other way," he said, trailing off.

"Okay," Emily said, realizing that they were both slightly uncomfortable discussing the topic.

"Right. So…what do you think about Neela?" Ray asked, taking another brave stab.

"Um, she's pretty cool, I guess," Emily ventured.

"You guess, huh?"

"Well, yeah, this is all really new for me," Emily said quickly, realizing what she'd just said and trying to backpedal a little.

"Okay then, I'll just leave you then. To your reading and uh…" Ray mumbled, getting up. "And you know, if you have any questions or anything, just ask, okay?"

"Oh no," Emily laughed. " 'If I have any questions,' that sounds like that sex talk you gave me a couple years ago!"

Ray laughed too. "Come on," he said, folding her into a hug. "You know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah," Emily's voice sounded from somewhere, muffled by his shoulder.

"I'll see you in a bit then," he said, straightening up. "I'm experimenting with something new for dinner!"

"Experimenting, huh? A word of advice then, keep the fire extinguisher and take-out menus handy!"

"Oh…_you_!"

Ray left, leaving Emily to sort out more of her feelings. She thought about the hug he'd given her. She knew, obviously, that he hugged—lots of people hugged. But what stood out in her mind was that she would now no longer be the only "regular huggee" in his life. Neela was now a "huggee" as well. The thought didn't trouble her, per say. It—invited more thought. What else did she now have to share with Neela?

Suppose things got really serious, and they moved in together? How would her relationship with Neela change? It wasn't as though they were really close; as far as Ray's coworkers went, she was closer to Abby than to Neela. Several years of waiting around the ER for Ray to finish work had taught her that Abby was generally much more fun to be around than Neela. Although, in recent months, Neela had gotten much better.

But…Emily still couldn't shake the feeling that Neela treated her like a child. She didn't mean to, and she didn't exactly plop her down to watch _Sesame Street_, but she acted sort of…distant. Would that change?

Emily also took into consideration that maybe the reason she was having such strong internal reactions was because this was the first _serious_ relationship Ray had ever gotten himself into. That made sense, didn't it? She wasn't sure what made sense anymore.

_So this is the price I pay for getting better?_ Emily thought cynically. At the same time, she wasn't sure why she was so bitter. She didn't _hate_ Neela, or anything close to it. She was…jealous? Felt threatened by her? Maybe this was her coming face to face with the fact that Ray was moving on, and therefore she, Emily, was growing up? And that pretty soon, she'd be out on her own? It was too much to think about, Emily decided, picking up her book and resuming her reading.

Author's Note: Review, please! I think I may be nearing the end of this story. I'm toying with the idea of a spin-off about Ray and Emily's life together, which I don't think would be applicable in this particular story. Feedback! Let me know what you think!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

While Ray was thumbing through a cookbook, a knock at the door brought him a welcome excuse to look up. Sticking a spatula in the page as a bookmark, he went to open the door.

"Hey," he said surprised when he found Neela on the other side of it.

"Hi," she answered, looking awkward. "Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here, I didn't mean to just drop by like this." She made a move to turn around.

"Hey, hey," Ray said softly, catching her arm. "I am now giving you the official right to perform the Girlfriend Pop-In whenever needed. I can even make you a certificate," he finished, pleased with his own cockiness.

Neela raised an eyebrow. "Official Girlfriend business is this? I can get used to the sound of that," she said, muffling her own words as she tilted her chin upward, initiating the first Official Girlfriend Kiss.

"So," Ray said, breaking the silence of the first Official Girlfriend Embrace. He briefly wondered how much longer he could get away with attaching the words "Official Girlfriend" to everything he and Neela did. This thought transformed to a whole series of other thoughts that he figured probably didn't have their place out in the open night air of his apartment landing. "Anyway," he continued, "Want to come inside?" he murmured into the top of Neela's forehead. He felt her nod in reply.

"I talked to Emily," he said as he closed the door behind him. "About, you know, our O.G.-ness. Without using that term, abbreviated or otherwise," he trailed off when he realized the extent of ramblings issuing from his mouth. Neela, on the other hand, laughed.

"How'd she take it?" she said after her giggles subsided.

"Pretty good, it sounded like. There's gotta be some things running through her head right now, though."

"Maybe I should talk to her," Neela offered.

"Maybe," Ray said, considering it. "I think if you guys just spent some time together…preferably in an environment that doesn't involve her bodily fluids being extracted."

"Mm," Neela groaned, "You think she hates me for that?"

"Not hate, she's just…less than amused," Ray suggested as he resumed his reading of the spatula-marked cookbook.

"What were you planning on making?" Neela asked as the subject turned to dinner.

"Not sure, I thought I'd try something new."

"Well that's—a plan," Neela said, her tone remarkably identical to what Emily's had been when Ray had suggested his idea of "experimenting." "I think I'll give you a hand," she said warmly.

After the use of many kitchen appliances, several sponge wipings, and Neela's excellent cooking abilities, dinner was on the table. Emily came in from the hallway, looking slightly disheveled and blinked in the bright light from the kitchen.

"Well hey, look who decided to grace us with her presence," Ray teased when he saw her. "How're you doing? I was just about to get you. Nap?" he asked, eying the state of her.

Emily merely nodded, having just spotted Neela. "Neela came over for dinner," Ray explained, following her gaze. "And ended up _making_ dinner," he added sheepishly.

The rest of the meal passed smoothly—Ray and Neela were very involved with one another, and watching them gave Emily fresh things to think about.

_Okay,_ she figured silently, twisting her napkin, _He's happy. He deserves to be happy. She's—okay. And I guess they're kind of cute together, in a disgusting sort of way. Hey, I survived mono. Running into Neela early in the morning on my way to the shower? No big deal._

THE END

Author's Note: That's it! My first-ever story is done, completed, finished, signed, sealed, and delivered! I'd appreciate some reviews about it as a whole; plot lines, characters, etc., including how I did on the technical side, grammar and all, as well as the medical terminology. I know some readers won't discover this fic for a while, but no matter when you do, remember: _it's never too late to reveiw!_


	21. Brotherly Life

Brotherly Life

Brotherly Love (and life) continues!

Sixteen-year-old Emily cautiously pushed open the door to the apartment she shared with her brother Ray. The coast seemed clear. She turned back to face her boyfriend, Brandon.

"Okay, I don't think anyone's home," she said to him, "Let's go in."

They walked into the empty apartment, and Emily quickly checked Ray's room and the bathroom. They were indeed alone.

"Remind me again why we're sneaking around, acting like we're looking for a good place to go have sex?" Brandon asked her when she returned.

"Because I want to make absolutely sure we don't walk in on _Ray and Neela _having sex," she answered matter-of-factly. True, she had never seen them going quite _that_ far, but she had still walked in on her fair share of make-out sessions.

"But aren't they at work?"

"Yeah, well that's where they were supposed to be every time I've walked in on them," Emily answered, shrugging.

"I have to say, you _do_ take this remarkably well, as opposed to being, say, scarred for life!" Brandon said.

"Well, I never said anything about the not-being-scarred-for-life bit."

* * *

Read the next part of this chapter in my sequel, "Brotherly Life"!  



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